Sonus Faber Concertino tweeter replacement

[Brice]

Hi guys,

My first post on the speakers forum.
I wanted to share my experience in replacing the tweeters in the little Sonus Faber Concertino.

I bought this pair for my son, for his first audio system, to be matched with a little EL84 Acrosound tube amplifier, and a fed with the excellent RME ADI-2 DAC FS from his computer.

As to be expected, I could hear a problem in the highs in one of the speakers.
Long story short, the tweeters on these were Frankenstein tweeters, with parts of peerless, quite expensive ScanSpeak dome, and the SF plate.

After many back and forth pictures with Madisound Speakers (Adam), who was very helpful in assisting me and understanding what was going on, we finally decided that I ship them one of my SF tweeter plate to find a suitable replacement.

Adam did find the perfect one, a ScanSpeak D2604/830000. Same original brand SF uses.

Got them today, they fit perfectly, and sound super nice. I am very happy about it.

Here is some pics and I hope it will help someone with similar speaker problem than I had.

Brice.

 

[mcgjohn]

nice work!
doing a little effort up front helps out in the long run. Would guess its pretty close to factory stock performance. Those SF bookshelf speakers always sound so good. Have had several pairs over the years. Thanks for posting.

 

[Colubrid]

Very nice that you found a great replacement. However I think it's important here to point out that those are not the orginal Concertino's with the bi wire/amp terminals. Those looking to replace the tweeters in the first generation Concertino's will need this ---> https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...estige-19tff1-h0737-3/4-textile-dome-tweeter/ tweeter. I just ordered two of these tweets as I'm building a copy of the orginal Concertino's right now.
And yes, Adam at Mad is a great guy that has gone out of his way for me over the years many many times.
Happy listening!!!!

 

[Opius]

Hello Brice,
thank you very much for this tweeter replacement guide. You have helped me a lot. I didn't find similar instructions anywhere on the net...
I bought SF Concerto Home from abroad, because when I heard them in a HIFI studio 20 years ago, I fell in love
When the courier brought them to me, I plugged them in, I was very shocked,...They didn't sound like I remembered...
I changed the amplifier, I changed the cables, the CD player - but nothing helped. They sounded like they were placed in a deep cellar.
I asked my experienced friend for help - a great technician - he measured them for me through a microphone and found that the frequency curve at the tweeter has a sharp drop of up to 12 dB - compared to the midwoofer, while both speakers showed the same problem on the curve.
The problem could be on the crossover or on the tweeters.
We disassembled the speaker and measured the crossover - it was fine, so the problem must be in the tweeters.
So I started searching on the net, but I couldn't find any information after three evenings. All I can find is that these tweeters were originally made by VIFA and tend to lose a lot of their sonic quality with age, but nothing about replacing them.
I just happened to find your post about the Concertino Home on this forum - I was very happy because they use the same tweeter as my Concerto Home.
So I ordered them, replaced them and everything is fine ))
In addition, I found a discussion on another forum that it is recommended to replace the capacitors with better quality ones, so I ordered from Mundorf and replaced them as well + the internal wiring with Audioquest. I was very pleased - what an improvement there was in the sound.
Thank you once again and as a possible help for someone who will need it - I am attaching a few photos.

 

[Brice]

Awesome !

These Concertino are fabulous for their size.
Thank for the info on the crossover and all pictures. I am sure this will help others.
I did not change the caps on mine yet.

I am glad my post helped

 

[Michael F]

I find myself in need of tweeters for a pair of Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home which I absolutely love.
While Im very relieved to know that there is an option to the $800 for replacements and a 90 day lead time that I was quoted by Sumiko (provided that they are still available in Italy), my research has come up with yet another option to the Scanspeak units mentioned in this thread.

My understanding is that SF sourced the Home line tweeters from Vifa which led me to the model DX25TG59-04 based solely on similarities between the diaphragms/domes.
While the physical dimensions are practically identical, there are differences in their electrical properties as can be seen on their respective spec sheets.
Unfortunately I am not well versed in interpreting most of those parameters but it appears that the D2604-83000 would seem to be superior to the Vifa on its own but how would it be in actual practice mounted in the enclosure I wonder?
Which one of those tweeters would be closest to the original?

 

[Opius]

Hello Michael F,
I can only answer your question from my own experience, but it would certainly be good if someone else wrote their experiences here to...
VIFA (today Peerles) would be suitable, unfortunately the manufacturer secured the front plate, which needs to be dismantled and replaced with the one from the original one - in addition to 3 screws - with glue (see picture), so replacing the front parts is complicated (I didn't try - I would destroy it )

Scan Speak's front panel is easily replaceable: just loosen 3 screws and replace it with the original one (see my first post)

Therefore, I think that there are not many options to choose from - how to repair or replace the tweeter.

 

[Brice]

I am not an expert in tweeters but looking at the specs, the Peerless seems a better tweeter.
They are very close, but the Peerless is more efficient and seems more linear.

But I don't hear my son complaining with the D2604-83000 installed on his SF so I guess either would work fine IMO. And this won't be an expensive mistake if you decide to swap for something much better (and $$) then these 2 models.

 

[wallacefl]

Internet folklore or possibly true …it has been stated that a modified version of the Scan Speak d2604/833000 is what is used in many Wilson speakers. I like the low FS and distortion profile…could probably cross these fairly low.

 

[Opius]

SF Concerto Home - crosover

 

[Michael F]

Hey Opius, thanks for chiming in.
That really is good to know, I started a thread over on DIYaudio. I came to the conclusion that I would purchase one of each and measure them against the original but if the Vifa cannot be taken apart well it would no longer be a contender. I find that to be strange because a Scanspeak model 290073 diaphragm is said to be a replacement for both the Vifa and Scanspeak tweeters.
https://solen.ca/en/products/scan-speak-290073-replacement-dome-d2604-dx25
I agree with Brice that the Vifa seems to have a smoother response, and its half the price of the Scanspeak!

 

[Opius]

Hello, here are the measurements:
First - with orginal damaged tweeter
Second - after repair and with new tweeter (after 2 weeks of break in time)

 

[Brice]

Well it looks like the second one is much better, isn't it?

 

[Opius]

Well it looks like the second one is much better, isn't it?

Yes, the old one had have problems, therefor new one is correct…. I think in the begining was the first one very close to the second,…..
Resuming: if I can - reccomende the changing and the model of Scan Speak tweeter, souds great

 

[robc23]

I'd like to take a bit off the top. I replaced the tweets in the concertinos and concerto. They are a touch too loud. I'd like to L-pad. The sf are 88db sensitivity and the scans are 92. Should I cut 2 dB or 1.2 dB? Or more? Something closer to original. I don't know the sensitivity of the original sf tweeter, just the whole concertino. Thanks

 

[bimmerwill]

Has anyone managed to successfully take apart the peerless tweeters? Im aware the front plate is glued on just wondering if anyones managed to remove it without destroying them

 

[Brice]

I'd like to take a bit off the top. I replaced the tweets in the concertinos and concerto. They are a touch too loud. I'd like to L-pad. The sf are 88db sensitivity and the scans are 92. Should I cut 2 dB or 1.2 dB? Or more? Something closer to original. I don't know the sensitivity of the original sf tweeter, just the whole concertino. Thanks

Playing with R5 would reduce the high alone. You'll need to get to the cross over board and play around with that resistor.
Not easy but doable. Easier to do with a decade resistor box.

 

[robc23]

Playing with R5 would reduce the high alone. You'll need to get to the cross over board and play around with that resistor.
Not easy but doable. Easier to do with a decade resistor box.

Thank you! Before I read your reply I put in a 2db Lpad. Its better, but I'm going to try a 3db cut soon. It's almost there if not there already. I'd like to nail it this way if I don't have to mess w r5. Good to know though.

 

[robc23]

The scan speaks are a bit harsh. I find myself turning the music down from fatigue. I tried a 2 dB and 4 dB lpad. That brought down the volume, but still harsh. I removed the Lpad. The twe000007 has a foam cylinder behind the cap in the coil, I'm sure yall know. I want to maybe put one in the scanspeak and maybe it'll do something magical. The Scan-Speak leave my ears ringing even at low level. I don't listen loud.

 

[taray]

Hi guys,

My first post on the speakers forum.
I wanted to share my experience in replacing the tweeters in the little Sonus Faber Concertino.

I bought this pair for my son, for his first audio system, to be matched with a little EL84 Acrosound tube amplifier, and a fed with the excellent RME ADI-2 DAC FS from his computer.

As to be expected, I could hear a problem in the highs in one of the speakers.
Long story short, the tweeters on these were Frankenstein tweeters, with parts of peerless, quite expensive ScanSpeak dome, and the SF plate.

After many back and forth pictures with Madisound Speakers (Adam), who was very helpful in assisting me and understanding what was going on, we finally decided that I ship them one of my SF tweeter plate to find a suitable replacement.

Adam did find the perfect one, a ScanSpeak D2604/830000. Same original brand SF uses.

Got them today, they fit perfectly, and sound super nice. I am very happy about it.

Here is some pics and I hope it will help someone with similar speaker problem than I had.

Brice.

View attachment 2505919 View attachment 2505920 View attachment 2505921 View attachment 2505922 View attachment 2505923

Hey Brice, thanks for posting the replacement tweeter info. Recently acquired a set of Concertino's with melted tweeters. Ordered a set from Madisound based on your research. Got them in under a week, installed in 20 minutes and they're back in business! Sound great in my office driven by an old Meridian 551 integrated. Looking forward to auditioning in my main system (ARC electronics...) and playing around with a bunch of other gear I have around. Thanks again!